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Amazing game the best compilation of games I can think of.

This game is the snes (super nintendo entertainment system). It is a compilation of mario's 2d platforming games. It contains super mario bros, super mario bros lost levels, super mario bros 2, super mario bros 3 and super mario world. Super mario world is not contained in the normal mario allstars game as this is the "Super mario allstars+super mario world" game. All of the games except super mario world have received graphical upgrades making the game more colourful and enjoyable. Also the original super mario bros and lost levels did not original include a save feature but in allstars a save feature has been added. I will now review all of the games included in this compilation.

The original mario bros was made in 1985 and the updated graphics look great and its still a great game. The game is not as good as the later mario games like mario bros 3 and super mario world but I prefer it to super mario bros 2.

There arent many controls. Move,Jump,Action. Action is generally throwing fireballs. The player plays as the main character in the series mario. For some reason the japanese came up of the idea of him being an italian plumber but there you go. The objective is to get through the mushroom kingdom while avoiding or killing enemies sent by the main boss bowser. Question Mark blocks release coins or powerups when hit from below. If mario picks up a mushroom powerup he grows to double his size and can take one more hit from enemies and obstacles. Players start with a certain amount of lives. More lives can be obtained by picking up 1-up mushrooms or gaining 100 coins.

The main attack is jumping ontop of enemies. This kills most enemies but some enemies like koopa's (turtles) go back into there shell. Mario can then pick up the shell and throw it at other enemies. Mario can also throw fireballs if he has picked up the fire flower. The least common powerup is the invincible star. This makes mario invincible for a certain amount of time although mario can still lose lives by falling down holes/pits. The game contains 8 worlds in the game each with 4 levels making for a total of 32 levels.

This is a fun game to play and is mario's platforming adventure debut. It's graphics greatly improved, sound quality is nice and its a great game.

Super mario bros the lost levels is basically the same game but different levels and exceptionally harder. it was originally released in 1986. This is also the first game where mario and luigi's movement physics differ. The game features no new enemies. The original game had 8 world and 4 hidden worlds. The hidden worlds were unlocked by beating the game 8 times in a row o.O . Though this was changed in the allstars remake as this was extremley tedious and it was hard enough to just complete the game once which in itself took several hours. In allstars the secret worlds world A,B,C and D and are unlocked by completing the last level of world 8. Also the world 9 glitch has been removed so on completion of the game when not using any skip world pipes throughout the game the player is not placed in a never ending repeating level.

Super mario bros 2 was released in 1988 and is significantly different then any other mario game. This is because it is not actual a mario game but was originally a japanese game called Yume K&#333;j&#333;: Doki Doki Panic. The 4 main characters were replaced with mario,luigi,princess peach and toad. The enemies were not changed so shy guy was not orginally a mario character. The games gameplay is significantly different. Enemies are not killed by jumping on them. Most enemies can be picked up by jumping on them and pressing the action button. The graphics are significantly better then the latter two games. In this game there are also doors which take you into inside caves. There are keys which can open locked doors also. Warp pipes look significanlt different. There are 7 worlds in total. Super Mario Bros. 2 received a graphical, audio, and gameplay upgrade in allstars. The game was changed to make it easier by being able to earn more lives in bonus chance games. Also unlike the original the character you play as can be changed everytime you lose a life rather then at the beginning of every level.

In super mario bros 3. you can play as either mario or luigi through many levels. The game contains eight larger worlds and in total there are around 80 levels. Levels generally take less time to complete then the original mario bros and much quicker to complete then super mario bros 2. There are many powerups in the game including a racoon suit, frog suit and of course the fire flower.

Before the player enters a level he is found on a map where he can move his character down paths around the world. On the map certain special places like toad houses will appear which grant either powerups or lives.

In this game there are alot more abilities/moves for mario then in previous games. Mario is now able to fly when he reaches full running speed and is wearing the racoon suit. He is also able to slide down slopes killing any enemy he hits, except spiky/fire/plant enemies.

As mario journeys across the map hammerbros will appear from time to time. The hammerbros also have the ability to move at the end of every turn. When mario goes onto the same space as the hammer bros a battle starts. The battle usually contains two sets of simple platforms and two hammer bros. For winning the battle mario receives a reward. Usually a hammer/invincible star. The hammer is used to clear rocks on the map screen.

On one world there is a boat which mario can climb onto this enables him to move anywhere on the sea though he can only get out of the boat at special docking ports.

At the end of every level mario hits a spinning block which in turn gives him one of three card. Either a mushroom, fire flower or star card. For obtaining 3 muhrooms mario receives 2 lives. For 3 fire flowers mario receives 3 lives and for 3 star cards mario receives 5 lives. Once card is obtained in each level. If you do not obtain 3 of a kind you still receive lives afer getting three cards though it is usually one.

This game also supports multiplayer which enable two people to play through the entrie adventure mode together. Players can also enter a battle of the original mario bros game by pressing a button when on the same space in the map screen. The person who is in control switches every time a level is completed.Super Mario world is for the snes (super nintendo entertainment system) not the nintendo 64.

This was the last of the original 2d mario platform games. It had crisp graphics great gameplay and in my opinion one of the ebst platforming games of all time. Still can't decide whether super mario bros 3 is ebtter or not.

Super mario world was originally released in 1990 and had great graphics for the time. The graphics and gameplay were not changed as allstars was released reletivley soon after this game The only difference from the orginal game is that luigi has his seperate sprite instead of being a recoulered version of mario and the amount of saves allowed is changed from 3 to 4. The game is extremley colourful and slightly detailed. The super mario world story begins with mario and luigi taking princess toadstool on a vacation and yet again she is suddenly kidnapped by bowser. It becomes the goal of mario, luigi and yoshi to save her. Super mario world does not take place in the mushroom kingdom like most of the games but instead takes place in...... Dinosaur land >.>

This game like mario bros 3 also has a world map. There are eight worlds in total each containing several levels. There are also secret levels that are found by exiting a level through a secret second exit. Mario can run,jump,swim through fireballs, fly which is much more then he could do in the previous few games. He can even run up verticle walls! Mario can kill enemies by jumping on them. Spinning them if he has a cape though this attack usually only stuns very few enemys. He can also throw fireballs with the fire flower powerup.

Each world consists of an end castle where mario must fight one of the kooplings. In addition to normal levels there are also special levels such as fortress's or the dreaded ghost houses. They are particularly annoying as they are like a maze. For example going over a platform then under the next platform may send you back to the first platform. Everything must be done in a set order otherwise you will be sent back. One other annoying example is that late on in a level there are about 5 doors to choose from. One will take you to the exit the rest will send you back to the beginning of the level. There are also hidden doors that only appear when you press switches and usually appear behind you in the level.

Super mario world is well known for its huge amount of secrets. There are 4 switch palaces which will make the game easier once the switch has been pressed by making more blocks appear in levels. In total there are 96 exits in the game to find.

This game also saw the introduction of yoshi. A green dinosaur that mario is able to ride. Mario can mount and dismount from yoshi at will. Yoshi is able to eat enemies. When certain enemies are eaten it lets yoshi spit out shells or even fireballs. Yoshi can also eat fruit. When enough fruit is eaten he will lay an egg which hatches a 1-up mushroom.

The multiplayer in this game is also good. It is basically the same as super mario bros 3's multiplayer as the players take turns to do levels. Players can also swap lives between them and when a player runs otu of lives a player that still has lives can give some to him. When both players lose all of there lives they start at the beginning of that world with 3 lives each. It has all the levels that single play mode has.

Super mario world is one of the best critically received games of all time with an average critic score of 9.7/10. It has also sold 20 million copies making it one of the best selling video games of all time.

Super mario allstars + world is a must have in anyones collection. The remakes are of the utmost quality and the save features added to the first few games are a much welcomed addition.

The only game I wouldnt buy on its own would be mario bros 2. The graphics,sound and gameplay are all great.

This product is exceptionally good value for money, as you can pick it up for a few quid and it contains 4 of the best SNES games ever made.

Super mario all-stars contains remakes of all 4 titles, the Lost Levels being titled as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan. Such as enhanced graphics, bug fixes and the ability to save your game, which wasnt featured in the earlier games of the series.

All 4 games in this compilation support 2 player adventure mode. Super mario bros. 3 also supports a 2 player battle mode.

Super mario all-stars will probably set you back as much as buying Super Mario bros. 3 on its own, so its well worth the money. A must buy if your starting your SNES collection or just want to re-live your old memories.

For reviews on the individual games i suggest you look for the Super Mario bros. series.

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A great collection of great games. Playable again and again.

Mario All Stars - 4 classic Nintendo platform games in one. I remember getting this game well over 10 years ago. I still play it today. To make this review a little different, I have decided to write it in rhyme. I will try and keep it as informative as possible.

Once upon a time in a far away landAn evil king hatched a monstorous planHe kidnapped the Princess, Peach was her nameEnter Mario and Luigi - the heros of this ga...

Ok. This really isn't working. Let's just write a normal review.

Released in 1993 for the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) platform, Super Mario All Stars is a compendium of all Mario's adventure games, previously released on the NES. All of the games (but one) have both a single player and 2 player mode, allowing you to take charge of either Mario or his big, little brother, Luigi. Upgrades from the NES version of the games included: * ability to save your progress in up to 4 different files for each game* improved graphics, enhanced sprite detail and new exciting backgrounds for the levels* polyphonic and better voiced in game music

1. Mario BrosThe original platformer has the player guide Mario from the left hand side of a level to the right. The screen scrolls across as the player moves and Mario (or Luigi) is unable to "retrace" his steps. Collect coins, bop enemies on the head and dodge various projectiles are just some of the fun things to do whilst running and leaping your way to the end flag. Environments include: underwater (watch out for those pink squids!), castles (with lava pits and plenty of leaping fire balls), snow world, mushroom top world and a night-time world. Good fun and a great challenge.

2. Mario Bros. 2Possibly the strangest of the Mario games - it's set in a dream world where Mario (and his friends, Luigi, Princess and Toad) must use vegetables (???) to fight various enemies. A very different feel to the original - with doors, free motion about the world and some rather creepy enemies (like the flying evil face!) Not as challenging as the original Mario Bros. but good for something "different".

3. Mario Bros. 3In my opinion, the best Mario game for the SNES. Full freedom in the levels, in game map, various secrets to find (like the cleverly hidden "whistle" in level 1), lots of world environments and the ability to fly, throw hammers and turn into a statue. Great stuff and very playable. It will take you at least a day to get through this from end-to-end - I mean, playing non-stop as an experienced gamer and not using the whistle. Seriously hardcore retro fun.

4. The Lost LevelsThis game was like a "add on" to the original Mario Bros games. The learning curve is much steeper - only really play this if you've completed Mario 1 arleady. It get fiendishly difficult. It also gets weird - especially when you get into the "lettered worlds" (as opposed to "numbered worlds"). Some examples of the feircesome weirdness is a disgusting brown Bowser castle (as opposed to grey) and the frequent appearance of fire underwater. Magic.

OverallI don't see what's stopping you from buying this... other than the fact it's not made anymore and that most people have probably put there SNES in the loft. Buy it second hand though - I'm certain you'll find it on eBay for an absolute steal.

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"Mario 2 is a bit rubbish"

In a time before emulators allowed geeks to store thousands of their favourite 16-bit games on their hard drive, fitting more than one game onto a cartridge was a rare event. Firstly because it detracted money that young idiots like me would otherwise spend on buying every game individually (although thankfully it was never money we had properly earned or worked for, and its our parents who are the idiots after all, just like we always knew), and secondly because cartridges were really rubbish. Those plastic things you slot into your antiquated game console that dont work until you blow in them used to seem so valuable, but are now not seen as fit to wipe our bottoms on. (Mostly because of the unaccommodating shape).

Super Mario All-Stars remains one of the most memorable generosities by the otherwise greedy, corporate, child-greed-feeders Nintendo. All four Mario games from the original 8-bit Nintendo, updated to 16-bit (and done properly, with faces and new graphics and sound and everything), PLUS (for those lucky enough not to buy it until the re-release), the best Mario game to date: Super Mario World. All games can also be saved to the cartridge, unless you cough near to it or something and accidentally wipe the memory, or simply let your brother play it, which always leads to the same result.

SUPER MARIO BROS.

Okay, this is pretty much the original Mario game with the word Super added to suit the Super Nintendo, or SNES (/snez/) as me and my friends cleverly called it, before realising that, in fact, it was what the whole world was inevitably calling it. This is a fun and possibly timeless game, the annoying right-side-scrolling being more than made up for by the brilliant synthesised steel drum tunes. Players can play as Mario or Luigi, which still only means switching colour from red to green; there is an alternating two-player option also.

SUPER MARIO: THE LOST LEVELS

Previously little-known, this cheap cash-in involved reworking levels of the first game and adding some new, similar ones, the distinction being that this game is much harder. Mario All-Stars rectifies this a little (and cheapens the game as a result) by allowing the state of each level to be saved, rather than the player resuming at the start of the world. i.e., saving on any level of world 7 on the first game will start the player at 7-1, while here a save on level 4-4 will mean play can be resumed at 4-4. I realise I have now probably alienated the few people who had the patience to read this far.

SUPER MARIO BROS. 2

The weakest link, Mario 2 always seemed like a bit of a stupid idea. Taking the franchise in a strange but thankfully short-lived direction, this game is partially a puzzle-solver, but is actually quite hard. The bosses are repetitive, but the levels are reasonably varied and fun.

SUPER MARIO BROS. 3

A classic game, and the first true sequel to the original game. Mario 3 innovated the map system and introduced a host of new items to turn Mario or Luigi into increasingly unnecessary guises, including a frogman, Hammer Brother and ridiculous but somehow rare Tanooki suit. Vexing but intensely playable levels throughout, the only problem is that the daft cheating whistle thing is still in place, pretty much removing worlds 2 through 6 from most gamers playtime. There is a video on the internet of someone completing this game in eight minutes or something. My brother sat through the whole thing, but then he also sat through The Matrix Revolutions which is much the same as watching someone else play through a video game.

SUPER MARIO WORLD

The most expansive and entertaining game on the Super Nintendo, Mario World had all the addiction of an RPG without the player having to remember boring statistics. The introduction of Yoshi and the logical extension of the world maps to form a huge, free-roaming map of the entire game that can be backtracked to find even more power-ups and secrets. The only real problem with this game is that extra lives, although not saved with progress, stack up so easily and so quickly that its impossible to stop playing through anything other than boredom, and this unfortunately does not rear its head too often when playing this colourful electronic masterpiece. Ive already written a review of it somewhere if youre really interested. Other people have too, but its obviously best if you read mine because its ace.

Super Mario All-Stars is one of the most classic game cartridges in existence, rivalled only by Segas ingenious but underused multi-cartridge system introduced with Sonic & Knuckles in 1995, the year everyone moved onto CD except for Nintendo with their silly 3D blasphemies of the Mario legacy.

All-Stars (plus Super Mario World) has taken many cumulative months from my life, and shall continue to detract the years as I stubbornly handle the uncomfortable SNES joypad while everyone else flies around on jetpacks playing Microsofts mind-operated console monstrosities.

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When Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. in 1999 it put a fun spin on all things Nintendo as well as the fighting game genre. With 12 Nintendo characters to choose from, one could pick their favourite character and bash their way through all the others in 1-player mode or have a 4-player all out free for all (by far the games best feature). With moves so simple even the most inexperienced player can play it, it was fun for everyone. Now not only have Nintendo recreated this fun fighting frenzy but it has also drastically improved it, promising a treat for all! GRAPHICS This game has a beautiful display of graphics. While it's true that most fighting games are more realistic as far as graphics go, the drawback is after so many "realistic" fighting games they all start to look the same. Not so for Smash Bros. Melee though. This game throws away realism while at the same time renders everything in bright, colourful 3D graphics. With just enough "eye candy" to keep any gamer pleased while still keeping a light, fun feel this is a delight for all. The characters are as crisp and bright no matter who is picked as the playable character. Samus's suit is shiny and metallic and her electric blast looks sharp, Link is dressed down to the last detail and even his sword gleams in the sun as he lunges at his opponent. Pikachu is as cute as ever and even lesser known old school characters such as the Ice Climbers are looking great, right down to their fluffy parkas! This really shows how much care and attention was put into each Nintendo fighter. Brilliantly designed worlds really set the mood for the battles in this game. From the wide flowing stage of Hyrulean Temple, to the classic Mario Bros. stage, each one offers something special and unique to the fight. For the poke'mon lover there is Poke'mon Stadium and Saffron City, while for the nostalgia lover there is Mario Bros. I and II stage as well as a stage for the Ice Climbers. With 18 original levels and 11 unlockable ones to choose from there's something for everyone. Battles take place at an unbelievable fast pace and even with 4 players there is no slowdown whatsoever. Even when items are raining from the heavens and everyone's making a mad dash for that heart container it doesn't slow down. The only thing that might be a problem is when the battle spreads too far apart the camera has a hard time keeping all the players on screen in wide levels or it may back up too far in an effort to catch the action. However since this only seems to happen on wide levels it's a flaw that can be overlooked. 19/20 SOUND In fighting games aside from controls and graphics, sound can make or break a game like this but once again Nintendo came through. This game has an awesome array of music for every level that fit wonderfully with this game. Whether its Star Fox's theme song as the fight takes place on his ship to the NES Zelda II dungeon music remake as Link and Gannondorf battle it out in the Hyrulean Temple, it all comes through beautifully, perfectly complimenting each level. This gives that special feel to each stage, giving the gamer the feeling that they just stepped back in time to the game each stage represents. Even the sound effects are great. The comical sound effects for the various weapons give a certain feel as it's played, such as the rush and feeling of powerful as you wield the mighty hammer about. The voices are a fun treat, from the lil' Yoshi's yelling as they're whacked out of the ring to the poke'mon attacking as they emerge from the pokeballs! Although many tunes and effects have already been done on the previous game, all in all Super Smash Bro. Melee is top notch in the sound department. 17/20 LIFESPAN When people tend to think of fighting games, the thought is they're generally short, with no t much to offer other than a few unlockable secrets and multiplayer fun. That's where this game really excels in it's class. While the first game was really only good as a 4-player game this one is a whole new ballgame entirely! This game will keep any gamer busy for hours on end whether alone or with friends. For those playing one player, there is a "Classic Mode", which is a mode where gamers fight one opponent after another until they fight and beat Master Hand. For something a little different from the traditional "Classic Mode" try "Adventure Mode" where not only does the gamer fight opponents but tries to fulfil specific requirements, such as finding the Triforce in an underground maze while fighting off Link each time a false Triforce is touched or trying to escape from the planet Zebes before time runs out after the fearsome fight with Samus. There's an unlockable "All Star Mode" in which players go head to head with different opponents with the only chance to recover health being between matches. One must be careful though, as there are only so many heart containers to heal with. "Melee Mode" is just like it sounds, swarms of polygon fighters attack relentlessly and the goal is simply to see how long one can last without healing. There are various lengths of Melee Mode as well as a "100 Man Melee" in which the player is pitted against 100 polygon fighter and finally "Cruel Melee", where gamers are challenged to defeat polygons programmed by Nintendo's finest gamers - don't expect to last long there! Last but certainly not least are Event Battles, a real treat. Event battles test the gamer's skill to his/her extreme by challenging the gamer to win the battles by completing specific requirements. For example one challenge called "Slippy's Invention" forces the contender to knock out the Star Fox crew on their ship. Sounds easy enough, right? Not so because Slippy's invention allows the entire Star Fox crew to fight while being infinitely invisible! And with 51 Event Battles there's plenty of insane challenges to beat! One final note for all those who just like to collect things, there's a Trophy Collection to try to complete. With a whopping 290 trophies to collect this will take quite some time to finish. Trophies are collected by various methods such as: beating all modes with every playable character, scattered throughout the different modes as well as by putting coins won by playing the game into a gumball like machine to receive new trophies. Though not the main focus of the game, a fun past time nonetheless. 25/25 GAMEPLAY We've all played fighting games before, but somehow this game strays from that same old Tekken, Street Fighter stereotype. The theme is simple, the controls are simple and yet while one can quickly get bored with all the other fighting games this one is very addictive. It's easy to get frustrated at this game, with all its insane challenges, but no matter the level of frustration, sooner or later that controller will be picked back up, the console turned on and that "one more try" in progress! One of the main things that separates this game from the typical fighting game is the fact that is pure fun all the time and never becomes tiresome or tedious. Unlike the more serious storylines of most fighting games, this takes a much lighter tone, in fact there is little plot or story at all. The story just consists of a bunch of Nintendo character action figures trying to defeat the Master Hand to free themselves from the toy box (Ed - gripping stuff)! This detachment from seriousness is actually refreshing to the fighting genre, much like Earthbound (SNES) and Okage: Shadow King (PS2) was to RPG's. The battle system is unlike any fighting game thus far. In a typical fighting game, the goal is to simply pound away at the opponent until their life meter is depleted or to throw the opponent from the ring this game gives an entirely different approach. The main goal is to throw the challenger off the stage....sounds easy right? This is where the battle system takes a twist unlike any fighting system thus far. Although attacks do damage, neither the gamer nor the opponent can be KO'd this way. The damage inflicted makes the challenger weaker and easier to throw off the ring, so the key isn't to pound the foe into oblivion, simply to do enough damage to throw them successfully from the ring...a task easier said than done. The larger the character, the more difficult it is to throw them out of the ring. This also plays a role in the player picked to fight the large foe. While Bowser might not have as much trouble tossing D.K. off the stage (Ed - tossing D.K off?), a light character such as Young Link will have to pound away at D.K. quite some time to be able to throw the big lug off, while D.K. could throw Young Link off quite easily. This gives it almost a strategic element to it, something not seen in most fighting games. Let's not forget the items! The arsenal of things to attack your opponent with is astounding, from Japanese fans, ray guns, beam swords, baseball bats to the mighty hammer, the possibilities are endless! The falling items also give a frantic feel to the game. The need to dive for that gun before the opponent gets his grubby mitts on it adds that urgency and getting it first makes the battle all the more fun! Finally the sheer variety of the game speaks volumes. As mentioned before there are numerous things to do on this game: invite over friends and have a free for all or team up with a buddy and do a team match, or go it solo and try out the Adventure, Classic, Melee and the unlockable All Star, or, or, or the possibilities really are endless. All in all the many options should keep any gamer of any level busy for a go od long while. Not to mention the Event Battles, the Trophy collection, and the unlockable characters and levels. All in all this is a gem of a game. 25/25 ORIGINALITY Although the concept behind Super Smash Bros. is quite original in its own right, since this is a sequel it really boils down to more of the same. Not that this is a bad thing, after all "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but since this section concentrates on "originality" the game falls down a little here although not as many as one would expect as there are many new additions to the game. A very excellent sequel though and a wonderful display of what Nintendo is capable of creating. 6/10 OVERALL Well, after reading all of the above, it should be clear what's coming now! This is a brilliant, simple to play yet hard to beat, fun and EXTREMELY addictive game that anyone of any age can (and probably will) enjoy. For all those yet to experience this game, it's a shame because you've been missing out on something spectacular! So go on, turn off this computer, get your tail up and at the very least head off to the nearest rental shop and rent this baby! 92%

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Well, the name says it all. If you know what these games are, read ahead. If you don't, read ahead. I'll start with the All-Stars games first. Here we go: Super Mario All-Stars - The only several-games-in-one package that is actually worth buying. After the extreme success of the Super Mario Bros. Games, Nintendo had decided to recreate all these games onto one cart. So they made this Masterpiece. I’ll briefly go through all the games included in this cart, so you’ll have a basic idea: ---------Super Mario Bros. This game was the first released (1985). There is your usual ‘Daisy has been kidnapped, save her’ story, and you must be guided through 32 levels, day, night, snowy: They do get harder in order, as you expect. The learning curve in this game is actually not bad; it is easy at first and progresses to become harder throughout. The graphics are an improvement from the NES; it’s the same game but a smoother Mario has replaced the blocky Mario, it is SNES after all. The enemies have also been improved, graphics-wise. The gameplay of this game is very basic; it’s your plain run and jump. There are three pickups in the game, the ones you would predict. The Mushroom makes you bigger, thus letting you withstand one hit only. This brings on no new moves. The fire flower gives you the chance to fire two flame things from your hand and defeat any nearby enemies, which you are faced with ahead of you. Lastly, you are given a super star, which are rather rare in the game. When you do collect this, you are flashing a colourful aura, and you are invincible for this short time. Now is your perfect chance to RUN! If this is one of the first Mario games you have played, then it will be found not too bad at first, but when you get into the game you will realize how hard this game can get; despite it’s simplicity. So if you ever get this game (emulated or bought from a car boo t sale) and you have not played any of the games before then it will be good to start with this one. Overall: **** Yes, something good that is from the 80’s. ---------Super Mario Bros. 2 Next along the line came this game. A lot of people will see this game and say ‘it’s exactly the same as Super Mario Advance’. Well they are right, but along the wrong lines. This game came from the year 1988, and was eagerly awaited after the mad success of the first Super Mario Bros. game. It has a totally unique game system from any of the others, where you actually can jump on monsters and not kill them. In this game (I’ll have you know it was previously called Doki Doki Panic) you pick vegetables up from the floor and throw them at your enemies. You can also pick up the enemies and do the same, which is killing two birds with one stone. The graphics of this (NES-wise) are pretty basic again, but still are a major improvement over the original SMB game. On the SNES, again, the graphics on the characters have been improved and the textures on some things are much more suited to the SNES. Out of the 3 SMB games, the graphics come a predictable 2nd. "So, fellow opinion writer, what are your thoughts on gameplay?" Well, I do think that it was not quite the gameplay I expected when I saw this. Still, it is innovative and new (old-new). There is the obvious ‘Y to run, B to jump’ pattern, but when you atop a shrub sticking out the ground, press B to pick it up. Same goes with enemies. Also, pressing Y will help you dig in the sand when you reach it. Characters: well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect Mario (of course) but 3 of the Nintendo mascot crew have decided to join him. Along with Mario comes Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool. If you choose Mario, you’ll be getting a good, all-round character, who is quite fast at running, quite fast at digging up an d quite high jumping-wise. If you choose who I think is Mario’s brother (Luigi), you are getting a person who is rather slow at digging up veggies, a mediocre runner but one hell of a high jumper. His high jump can reach especially high places, including on the 2nd level (1-2, do this if you own this or Mario Advance), you can jump on an enemy and high jump to a patch of grass, saving you to go through the door and skipping more than half the level. Toad; when you say/think Toad, an automatic reflex of "Mario Kart" comes to mind. Toad is one sprinter; the fastest in the game, and can dig up those vegetables in no time at all. Highly recommended for all levels. Princess Toadstool is the last of the lot, and has some unexpected characteristics. She is the slowest at digging up, and is quite a bit slow to run, but if you hold the jump button, she can float for about 2 seconds; this is highly recommended for beginners and also for the people who need to reach secret areas. She’s quite high when it comes to jumping, too. Well, with 6 worlds and one major boss to go with each world, this game does last a while; it did with me. Expect about 5 - 6 hours in total if you are good at platforming games, and about 10 if you aren’t. Overall: **** Another very good game in addition to the game (All-Stars). ---------Super Mario Bros. 3 This game is probably the most famous of all 4 of the games on Mario All-Stars. This was probably what most people got this for (for the most reasons), and I myself was an eyewitness to many that this was the most popular game. You start off on the first land in the Mushroom Kingdom, and then go on to several other worlds, which have unique attributes. These include icy worlds, water worlds, cloud worlds and a rather pleasing giant world. You start off from having an invite from the Princess, and surprisingly SHE DOESN’T GET CAPTURED AT THE BEGINNING! The aim, a bit too predictably, is to reach the end of every level. This is by jumping, running, flying and turning into statues. Yes. The graphics are obviously the best, when you compare them all to the NES versions it is the same order (SMB3, 2, 1), only this has been majorly improved. All character designs have been improved, all the texturing has had a full makeover, all the backgrounds are improved and the level quality has been made to look like there was no SNES version. The gameplay is one big factor on this game; the powerups (the number of then and also what they are) have to be the best in any Mario game yet. The mushrooms make you big (no one saw that coming, huh?) and you can withstand one more hit, then you will go back small again. The fire flower (you have guessed, haven’t you) makes you white and red, and you can shoot two consecutive flames at a time to vanquish your enemies. The next basic power up is the brown feather, which makes you grow a tail and also some insignificant ears, which when you run you can fly into the sky. Without running you will not get any fly power, but you can hover. The next one, as we move onto the more advanced powerups, is the Frog Suit. This, as blatantly obvious as it is, makes you better at swimming. Holding Y improves it further, by pressing Up, Down, Left and Right to actually swim in that direction, instead of constantly pressing B to keep your head at bay. This is really handy in some levels, not to mention the whole of World 3. Next up? There’s the Raccoon Suit. Imagine that the feather is half of this. It is a totally nice-fitting suit, which totally covers Mario with brown, and the tail and the ears. Now, holding Y to run and jumping will make you fly, but there is one unexpected move that comes with this. If you hold Up, you can turn into a statue of which resembles nothing at all, but there you go. Enemies will walk straight past you, as if you were not there. Beware, though: you can only hold th is for 5 seconds. There is one more, which comes in quite handy, especially with the feather; this is the ‘P’ Wing. This makes your run constantly be at full at all times, so you can fly off in the sky right from the start! Overall: ***** This game is very varied; nice to look at, has loads of powerups and is playable to an extent of making you smile. ---------Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. Unfortunately, there is not too much to say about this game, so I’ll first of all say it’s a direct port of SMB1, same graphics, gameplay, same number of levels etc. But, there is one major difference: It’s hard. Yes, it’s the same, but much, much harder. "Super Mario Bros. Expert Edition" it should be called. I have completed this game, and the second time, which makes it the expert mode (yes, the game is made harder the second time round). This took time and patience. If you are a hardcore platform fan you will love this, just make sure you have padded the controller for when you throw it at the T.V. It is a great game, SMB1 is a classic and this is the same with a revamp. Oh, and there is also 2 playable characters: Mario, who is more or less the same, and Luigi, who is faster and a higher jumper, just takes a LONG time to stop. Stick with Mario; except for the times you know you should use him. One more thing, this game has an introduction of purple mushrooms; they do the opposite of the ones you originally knew. Overall: *** Not a classic, but a great challenge once you have finished the other 3. So what can I say? This is also, along with Super Mario World, one of the best games ever. And Nintendo didn’t have to do that much for the SNES version anyway. Download it for the graceful ZSNES or blow away the dust from your old God and play it if you don’t remember. And now, for the main game: ---------Super Mario World Ma rio had started in the early days of arcade where Donkey Kong (another mascot who went on to become a good guy) had captured Daisy (Princess Toadstool) and you took control of this Mario fella and got to the top. Classic. He then went on to a debut game for the Nintendo Entertainment System - namely Super Mario Bros. This was a 2D, side-scrolling platform game which involved you picking up mushrooms and growing, then picking up a flower and being able to fire. This game was a hit for years to come, people today still deem it excellent. The NES adventures had been developed to create the much more enjoyable, resourceful game known as Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3. Man those were the days. In the days of SNES, Mario had become much more popular and games consisting of Super Mario Kart and Super Mario All-Stars had been made. Before that though, (stepping back a year or two) the Nintendo company had gone to make this game they named Super Mario World. So, Nintendo knew the power of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and decided to make a game, which is MORE than some 2D Platformer. And this time there isn't just a Princess that needs saving. Bowser had taken over Dinosaur Island, where Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool had taken a vacation, and gave one piece of land to each of his smaller counterparts. Each had their own castle, strangely they got cleverer as you get closer to Bowser' Castle, and you start off at the furthest point. This is Yoshi's Island, which was where Mario and the crew were relaxing. The Princess had been kidnapped, but as you go on your first journey you find that Bowser had captured all the Yoshi eggs on the Island! Now, Yoshi: Yoshi is this Dinosaur who is green, has a long tongue and a big appetite. Also, s/he becomes good friends with Mario and decides to give him a lift. Very handy. So, you need to make it through Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, Vanilla Cove, That place where all the levels are named after food, the Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island and, finally, Bowser's own Underground Keep. The graphics are so much more of an improvement of the previous games it's/was eye-popping. Much more anti-aliasing is involved, so no more squared edges. The Backdrops are astounding, especially when you compare them to the other games. New monsters (a lot of them) are now out to seek you and you must get past them in much more ways as you thought you could do. The gameplay, well what can I say? So much more moves it’s unbelievable. You can pick up the mushroom, this will make you much more bigger and you can now destroy vulnerable blocks by pressing the A button. Getting a Fire Flower will give you fire power. Press Y and you can shoot out 2 flames to scorch your enemies. Is useful and looks a cool white with red, too. After that you will pick up a feather; this will give you a magic yellow cape. Holding Y to run, at full speed, hold B and you will soar in the air! Here, you will start to drop. Press the opposite direction you are flying to go higher, or you can hold the down button and bomb everything that is in your screen! Also, riding Yoshi can be joyous. Press Y to unleash his tongue. And to make things better, there is a non-simultaneous 2 player mode of which you must take in turns to get futher than the other, Mario or Luigi? Place your bets now! The game size - wow. 96 whole levels for you to explore. And these aren’t like Croc. These are all big, and very carefully developed levels which all have the perfect learning curve, for beginners or Mario veterans. 8 worlds (there is the Special World and the Star Road World, but let’s leave them out) for all these levels, and over half of the levels have 2 or even 3 finish points! The game lasted me ages. It will/did with you too. So, you had a SNES and didn't buy this game. Well, I don't hate you because you might have been trapped in i ce, or you could maybe have been in a coma. Either way, this one cartridge, that small peice of plastic which slots into some grey box can bring you hours more joy than you expect. Yes, this game is one hell of an essential game. Get. Play. Smile.

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Super Mario Allstars + Super Mario World is a single cart that features the classic Super Mario World alongside four classic NES titles which have benefitted from a new lick of paint. The NES titles in question are Super Mario Bros., Doki Doki Panic, which was renamed Super Mario Bros. 2 for the West, Super Mario Bros. 3, and the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, called The Lost Levels here. Super Mario Bros. is one of the most influencial games ever; maybe only less so than Pong - the very first video game. It wasn't the first platform game, but it was the one that formed the basic structure of platform games today. With Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto crafted the concept of jumping on enemies' heads to kill them off, and equally importantly, the idea of a scrolling level. I'm sure there was some obscure C64 or ZX81 game that had these features before SMB did (there is always an obscure game that no-one's heard of that came up with a concept credited to something else), but I don't know it. The whole concept of jumping on an enemy has barely changed since, and it is half of what makes a platformer just that. Maybe the advancement to scrolling levels opposed to single-screen levels was merely a matter of time, but SMB got there first (I think). OK, so the game was made in the early 1980s, so in the same way that old comedians look absolutely crap now, some aspects of the game have dated. For a start, the structure of the game is linear: you always head right. Also it could be criticised for the simple way the levels must be played in - you must, with the exception of a few warps, go through the levels in a specific order. These probably were due in part to Nintendo's basic knowledge of NES at the time: with every console, as time passes, coders can get more and more performance out of the same machine. The level-skipping warp probably was Nintendo's attempt at lowering the linearity of the game but it is just not enough. But don't think that these things automatically kill off the game: this is Nintendo we are talking about, so the gameplay is obviously strong. Despite the limited structure of the levels, some skilled level design compensates well. Something Nintendo have lost completely now is that they used to be capable of challenging games. SMB is a perfect example, although the difficulty level has been dampened for this SNES re-release, as you get 5 lives opposed to 3 and you can also save. Don't think the game is easy because of this though... Naturally, the difficulty curve is absolutely perfect, getting gradually harder and harder and introducing new ideas as the game progresses. There are quite a few levels to get through. On the subject of SNES re-release, they've naturally improved the presentation significantly. The graphics, while not comparible to even Nintendo's later work on SNES, are a vast improvement on NES version, looking as they do far sharper and more detailed. As for sound, I don't think NES could've produced tunes to the standard of this release, but I can't be certain as it has been... ooh, a good 5 years since I played NES version. The addition of saves is welcome to say the least, too: the original suffered from the dreaded "DAMN! I've just lost my last life playing against the last boss and so I won't bother with it again for weeks" syndrome, although the warps helped a little here. Few people know this, but Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn't originally a Mario game: basically all Nintendo of America did was to put in Mario and friends as the sprites. The game was actually a Nintendo production called Doki Doki Panic. Because of this, SMB2 feels different to the other Mario games. You don't actually bounce on enemies to kill, them for instance: you need to throw stuff at them; other enemies, for example. Unfortunately, the themes of the levels are not very original: a grassy world, a desert world, a world in the sky... I don't remember a slippy ice world thank God. The actual content of the levels are fairly predictable too, but the levels do not get boring for some reason. This is something that reviewers hate: unoriginal levels with repetitive contents... that are fun and do not tire after a while, as there is no obvious explanation for why the game plays well. Because of this, I will plump for that reviewing cop-out: to say that the game has the amazing and mysterious ingredient X: that which is good but it is hard to say why. SMB2 has a lot of ingredient X. One thing that I can pin-point as a plus point in the game: it is very polished (another reviewing cliché...) - the characters have a nice 'smooth' feel to them which is similar to the way Mario handles in Mario World. The graphics and sound have been given a new lick of paint, and the game certainly looks better than the original as the sprites are bigger than before and more detailed. As with the original, the presentation is only good compared to the original NES games: compared to many other later SNES releases, SMB2 doesn't look very impressive. I am not sure whether NES game had saves or not, but if it didn't, I feel sorry for anyone who had to complete it in one go. It is not the longest game ever, but it does last fairly long. It is easier than the other Mario games, but don't expect to rush through it. I remember the last world being particularly nasty, even though the last boss had an AI flaw you could exploit - stand behind him. He never figures it out. One feature I liked at first was the choice of characters you get: this could have brought some strategy into the game. It didn't. Although they all have different strengths and weaknesses, the Princess is far better than the rest as she can float for a few seconds. Nice to see her do something more constructive than get caught by Bowser AGAIN I suppose... After the success of the previous Mario games, it was innevitable that the character that started as being 'Carpenter Man', who only changed into Mario when an observer said that the character resembled an Italian plumber, would spawn sequels. And he did, with out of all the dozens of games bearing his name, this instalment is my favourite. It plays similarly to the original, but there are some major improvements. Firstly, a small step has been made here to avoid the linearity of the original, although not to the extent of Super Mario World, where you can choose the route you take through the game to a large extent. What this means is that you sometimes get a choice of levels, or an item that opens up an alternative route. As well as items that open up new routes, there are also items that give you new abilities, like the ultra-sute frog suit, which makes you a far better swimmer. These add to the variety, as well as making you wonder what's next. The levels are less simply structured than before, too. Levels now go up, down and left sometimes, and some levels are for instance, partially underground and partially overground. Something no-one seems to moan about with Mario games which pisses off loads of people in other platformers, is the predictable themes of the levels. SMB3, for instance, has a grassy world, a desert world, (half) a sky world, an ice world... you've seen all these ideas before many a time. But Miyamoto and co. as per usual attempt to be a bit different, and so you get nice touches in these clichéd worlds, like the ability to melt ice in the ice world for instance. The graphics have been redone since NES version somewhat, but that isn't to say that this version looks a patch on a lot of Konami's work. Likewise, the sound has been 'de-bleeped' for this SNES version, due to SNES' superior sound quality. Incidentally, sound is something I believe has not progressed much: many SNES games sound bet ter than games on newer consoles. It did improve between NES and SNES significantly, however, so this reworking was definitely necassary. The actual soundtrack is an improvement on the original's but not by much: we are still in cutesy Nintendo teritory, I'm afraid. After The Lost Levels, SMB3 is the hardest game on this compilation. It has a large number of levels, a good number of which are pretty tricky. You won't complete it in a hurry, but trying to do so is something that is very entertaining. In a turn of events that almost makes the Final Fantasy naming system look simple, The Lost Levels is actually Super Mario Bros. 2. "How what where?" I hear you cry. Basically Nintendo of America didn't like this sequel, and released Doki Doki Panic, another Nintendo platformer, instead with altered sprites and called it SMB2. They thus must've felt a little desparate as they released this 'rejected' game on the compilation... The Lost Levels is so similar to the original, it is like a tough set of extra levels for Super Mario Bros., and they are damned tough. It seems like someone was a bit sloppy though, as someone has lost a LOT of levels. I got to level 8-4, and expected the credits to roll when I managed to complete the level, but instead it went on to level A-1. The advertising said it has 99 levels, which doesn't sound right as there are 4 levels in a world, but the point still stands that the game is absolutely rock solid and huge. I don't understand why Nintendo chose to use the original Super Mario Bros. as a basis for the game: SMB3 improved on the original's engine in nearly every way. My guess is that as levels for SMB3 are more complex, they'd take up too much memory, and Nintendo would naturally want to keep the cart size down so they could make a larger profit. But they did choose the original's engine, so we're stuck with it. But although SMB3 improved on the formula, it is not the case that SMB has a cruddy engine, so I'll stop moaning about that now. Anyway. To get anywhere in The Lost Levels, you need to have at least got fairly far in the original as although this game does have a learning curve, it is one that starts at a fairly high difficulty. This is a rarity in a Nintendo product: they are for once catering for older, more skillful gamers opposed to attempting to please everyone but ending up making games that appeal to the 6-10 age group. Obviously, the graphics are identical to the graphics in SMB, and the soundtrack is also the same. This is disapointing: I would have hoped that they bothered to make new BGM, especially as as I have said (not a typo), the majority of the people who will get some distance into the game will have played SMB through to the end, and will probably have got bored of the tunes en route. This would be OK if the soundtrack was by SquareSoft, but it is your average upbeat Nintendo produce. This is a minor niggle, though. Whacking up the difficulty has two obvious effects: it lasts longer, and it is more fustrating. A LOT more fustrating. Sometimes I am thankful that SNES carts are bullet-proof, as that might be tested after dying for the umpteenth time on the same level... The year was 1991, and Nintendo had to pull something special out of their collective corporate hat to convince gamers to buy their new hardware. And they did. SMW is a game that practically every SNES owner has, and for a good reason. Over the course of the 6-odd years that SNES lasted for, few - if any - managed to improve on the simple gameplay of Mario World. I think Yoshi's Island, while hugely innovative and technically far superior, simply cannot compare to SMW purely in terms of gameplay. What a predictable opening paragraph that was. But anyway, this is vintage Nintendo, which simply is incapable of becoming dated. The structure of the game is fairly n on-linear, as after the first introductory world you have a choice in which way you progress through the levels. This is achieved by secret endings to some levels, which is something that adds to Mario World significantly as you do not merely need to get from one end of the level to the other. To manage to find all of SMW's secrets takes exploration and a little puzzle-solving. Obviously the puzzles are not on a par with Zelda, but it is the kind of thing that makes the game different from those platform games where you hold down right and tap jump occasionally. SMW was released in '91, and frankly it looks it. The colour-scheme is laughably simplistic, the bosses are forgetable, and, and... it really doesn't matter. I'm not saying graphics don't matter, as they do, as they are the main way a game communicates with the player. But here you will forget about the graphics soon enough. Think about it: how many people have ever moaned about the graphics in Tetris? Nobody cares when the game is absorbing enough. I'm not saying I'd complain if the game was re-released in 3D with 16 million colours and a high polygon count, but SMW is simply a game that does not need spectacular graphics as it has nothing to hide deeper down. And then there's Yoshi. The green dino gives a new dimension to the game, as he has a different set of abilities from Mario. This adds to the variety in the game, as the coders can come up with parts of levels that are designed to be negotiated with one of them specifically. And there are certainly plenty of original ideas in SMW. Some games only change the backgrounds of the levels, with the gameplay remaining the same throughout, and some try to make levels with a new idea each. The latter is a nice approach, but Mario World often introduces several new ideas in a single level. Whereas a game like Donkey Kong Country 3 has obviously had a lot of thought put into it to 'create' originality, SMW seems to have been done by naturally imaginative people, and so it doesn't seem that they are constantly trying to make sure the new ideas are spread evenly: a lesser firm than Nintendo would look at one of Mario World's levels and divide the ideas in it into different levels, but Nintendo have simply come up with enough innovative ideas to make this possible. I think what I'm trying to say is that the game doesn't smell of board meetings if you get me. The game also is fairly long if you complete a decent number of levels, although unsurprisingly it has no challenge whatsoever on all but around 5 levels. A really subtle touch that took me an age to notice is that most of the games' tunes are variations on the same tune. Different samples and tempos etc disguise this. Just listen closely to the underwater and castle themes for instance... not that the tunes are that special in their own right, unfortunately, due to the usual cutesy upbeat style Nintendo have such a fascination about. In summary, this is an excellent collection of games, with the fustration factor making TLL the weakest of the five titles on show here, although it is still a fantastic game in its own right. [Please note that this review was not stolen from http://members.madasafish.com/~kefka/ as said site is mine]

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Super Mario All Stars is the game that most people would have recieved on purchasing the SNES console lucky them it is the best game I have ever played apart from maybe the original Donkey Kong SNES game. It consists of the first three Mario games and the lost levels which were previously unavailable in Britain. The first Mario game is the classic platform game endless fun for all ages the basic principle is to finish the level by jumping on enemies and collecting coins you can also of course turn your self into Super Mario then you can shoot things until the baddies get you then you are back to normal size Mario! Also the main point of all Mario games is to rescue Toad and Princess Daisy who have been captured by the evil Bowser! Mario's brother Luigi is also present to help you. The second Mario game is more of the same except different! The third Mario game well you can get a tail and fly on this one brilliant fun. The lost levels is the first game revisited but much harder. I am so jealous of anyone playing this for the first time if you see it at a car boot get it you will not be disappointed.